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Westport Writers’ Rendezvous: November update

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and are all set to begin writing again. I always think NaNoWriMo was invented by some guys who didn’t have to cook for their family in November. And how come they never noticed it’s a short month? Oh, well.

Undeterred by these minor setbacks, a hardy group of us gathered at the Pequot Library (our hosts this month and next) in spite of the fact that they were getting ready for their famous Black Friday/Saturday book sale. It’s on tomorrow, Saturday, November 24, from 9-5, and includes DVDs, CDs and Vinyl, as well as books.

Also happening tomorrow, November 24, The Fairfield County Writers’ Studio (above) is offering their space from 10-5pm for anyone who wants a quiet place to write. They’re located at 21 Charles Street, next to the Westport Rail Station, and around the corner from Garelick & Herbs, who can provide sustenance if you need it. Coffee and tea will be available at FCWS. No charge, but email them to let them know you’re coming at info@fcwritersstudio.com

On Wednesday, November 28th at 6:30 p.m The Connecticut Press Club is hosting an event: The Secrets of Publishing Success with Susan Shapiro, author of “The Byline Bible: Get Published in 5 Weeks”. This event will take place at Barnes & Noble, Stamford Town Center, and is free and open to the public. Shapiro is an award-winning writing professor, freelances for the NY Times, NY Magazine, WSJ, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Elle & Oprah.com.

The Westport Library is beginning a new year of WestportWRITES with a mini-conference focusing on narrative podcasting: “Behind the Mic: The Art and Tech of Podcasting.” It will take place at the library on December 2, from 12-5pm. Even if you think you might not need to know how to podcast, the rise in audiobook sales should have you thinking about ways to get your book or short stories into audio form. Anthony Desiato will break down a quartet of key components for a successful podcast: style, hardware, delivery, and marketing. And he’ll guide participants as they develop their show ideas and record demos using actual podcast equipment. Sounds good (yeah, I know it’s a pun…). Register here.

For those of you looking to market your book, a new guide is available free from Bookbub. You can become one of their authors if you have a book with an ISBN number. The Ultimate Guide to Promoting a Book Launch is designed to help you develop a marketing plan for your next release, by walking you through the stages of a book launch, with examples of how successful authors have promoted their new releases at every step in the process. Some of these marketing ideas will help you drive pre-orders and book sales now, while others are geared towards building the buzz and brand awareness that leads to future sales.

And a blog post from SE White caught my eye. It has tons of links to information you might need, including phony publishing companies, Where to find free cover photography, a directory of reviewers for indie publishers, etc. Take a look if you have a book.

Lastly, I came across an article telling you how you can schedule Instagram posts in advance. If you find social media taking up too much writing time, this might help. Here’s a summary: If you switch to or create an Instagram business account (free), it’s possible to schedule posts with Later. You can use Later on a free plan if you don’t post that often, or pay $9 month for most functionality you need as an author or freelancer.

Good for you! I always ask people at the end of the meeting what they plan to get done by next month. At the beginning of the next meeting we report back. Want to give it a shot? Chapter 4 by mid-December? 🙂